Kids get free surf tips from pros at Daytona 'contest'

Sunday

Jun 16, 2013 at 4:14 PMJun 16, 2013 at 8:39 PM

There isn't much surf in Owensboro, Ky., so, while on vacation in Daytona Beach with his family, 13-year-old Beau Cattoor relished the opportunity Sunday to ride the waves with professional surfers for free.

ANTHONY DeFEOSTAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH — There isn't much surf in Owensboro, Ky., so, while on vacation in Daytona Beach with his family, 13-year-old Beau Cattoor relished the opportunity Sunday to ride the waves with professional surfers for free. He was one of more than 60 kids and teens who participated in the Rip My Shred Stick event, organized by surf apparel company Hurley. The event was a free surf competition for kids age 16 and under, where they could ride out into the ocean on one of the company's professional-quality boards accompanied by professional surfers from around the country. "It was fun," said Cattoor. "I only surfed like one time before but I didn't really get anything good. It helped me out a lot, the person who was with me was teaching me the basics and everything." Noah Snyder, 39, from the Outer Banks in North Carolina, was one of the professionals Hurley brought to Daytona Beach. "We've got a fun, free contest for the kids. It's a chance for them to learn how to surf or get a little bit better," said Hurley. "We've got all the pros down here, so it's a chance for them to pick their brains and see what they would do in these conditions." Far from being a hyper-competitive, high-pressure competition, the kids were judged on everything from best dance moves while surfing to best wipeout. "The contest, it's fun, it's a loose format, it's just about being creative and expressing who you are," said Snyder, who has surfed professionally for more than 20 years. While the company has been putting on similar events around the country for about eight years, 2013 marks the third year the tour has come to Daytona Beach. And although some of the kids participating had been surfing for years, some had never stood atop a board before. With relatively light swells and a low risk of strong rip currents Sunday morning – along with about a half-dozen professional surfers on hand for guidance – the event provided an opportunity for kids to learn one of the harder sports to pick up. "It's easier for kids than it is for older people" to learn to surf, said Blair Wheeler, a 23-year-old professional surfer from Myrtle Beach, S.C. "It's definitely the hardest sport that anybody could ever do. It's the balance. You're always dealing with the ocean, which is always moving, and you never know what's going to happen when you drop into a wave." Despite the challenges that come with getting on a board, some die-hard surfers like Snyder credit the sport for changing their lives. "Surfing is a gift," he said. "I know for me, it's the thing that kind of kept me out of trouble and got me on track. It's a healthy sport, it's a fun sport, it keeps you in shape and once you do it and you start getting better at it, you want to do more of it."

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